What if the key to excellent resident care isn’t just better systems but better support for the people who provide it?
In this episode, you’ll hear how leadership rooted in empathy can transform lives. Join host
Chelsey Gheyara as she sits down with
Paul Pruitt, CEO of
Majestic Care, and
Brandi Thompson, Executive Director of Majestic Care of Newburgh. Together, they open up about their own journeys from bedside to leadership and the crucial truth they’ve learned along the way: when we pour into our care team members, they’re empowered to pour into our residents.
This conversation honors the human connection at the heart of long-term care and reminds us all that no role is ever “just” anything when it's excellently led with the heart.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How true leadership starts with listening and showing up
- Why supporting caregivers in their own homes improves their care at work
- What happens when failure is treated as a path to growth
Highlights:
(
00:30) Meet Paul Pruitt & Brandi Thompson
(
02:15) Brandi’s inspiration for entering senior care
(
03:30) Brandi’s “aha” moment & knowing her purpose
(
04:30) Transitioning from therapist to administrator
(
06:15) Leading by example: Scrubs on, hands-on care
(
07:30) Compassionate leadership at Majestic
(
08:15) Becoming an agency-free building
(
09:30) Pouring into leaders and changing culture
(
14:00) Supporting care team members and their families
(
17:30) Learning from failure: Earning your leadership stripes
(
20:30) Advice for new administrators in long-term care
(
27:15) Standing up for residents’ rights during the survey
(
34:00) What excellence in care and leadership really means
What is Hearts of Excellence?
Most people think they know what a nursing home is, but they’ve never heard the voices inside.
The quiet moments of compassion. The stories of resilience. The people who show up, not just because it’s their job, but because it’s their calling.
Brought to you by Majestic Care, Hearts of Excellence shares what it truly means to live and work in long-term care. Through real, unscripted conversations with our care team members, leaders, and resident families, we reveal what excellence looks like in action, and, most importantly, why it matters.
Behind every resident is a family who wants to know they’re cared for. Behind every caregiver is a heart that chose this work for a reason.
Long-term care isn’t the end of the story. It’s just the beginning.